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Chicken Lettuce Wraps

5 from 14 votes
Total 30 minutes
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Chicken lettuce wraps are a quick take on a popular restaurant favorite, made with shredded chicken, vegetables, simple Asian sauce, and your choice of toppings.

Three chicken lettuce wraps filled with chopped vegetables, diced chicken, and topped with crushed peanuts and chili sauce, served on a round wooden board.

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Table of Contents hide
1) Why You'll Love This Recipe
2) Ingredients You’ll Need
3) How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps
4) Best Lettuce for Lettuce Wraps
5) Tips From The Test Kitchen
6) Meal Prep Lettuce Wraps: Two Easy Ways
7) More Easy Asian Recipes
8) 📖 Recipe
9) Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Quick and Easy)

Why You'll Love This Recipe

If you love restaurant-style Asian lettuce wraps, this version delivers a perfect balance of savory and sweet with a fresh, satisfying bite in every wrap. Using rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken, along with a quick pantry-staple sauce, keeps things flexible and cuts down on cook time, so you can get dinner on the table in just a few steps. It’s easy to prep ahead, making it a reliable option for busy nights.

Once the components are prepped, it can be a 5-minute heat-and-serve option for lunch or dinner. I honestly can’t believe I wasn't living on this back in college because it's so economical and solves real-world problems. It has become a favorite in my collection of quick and easy dinner ideas.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This recipe keeps things simple with a handful of ingredients that come together quickly to create a fresh, saucy filling with plenty of texture.

  • Cooked shredded chicken – This simplifies prep, skipping the step of cooking raw ground chicken. Rotisserie chicken is the easiest option, but any simply seasoned leftover chicken from other recipes works well.
  • Red bell pepper – adds fresh flavor, a pop of color, and a slight sweetness.
  • Green onions – bring a mild onion flavor and freshness. The white parts cook with the filling, while the green tops are used for garnish.
  • Water chestnuts (optional) – add a crisp texture that contrasts with the soft, saucy chicken.
  • Butter lettuce or Romaine – used for serving. Butter lettuce is soft and easy to fill, while romaine offers a firmer, crunchier bite.
  • Asian sauce – my 5-minute, go-to stir fry sauce made with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and a touch of sweetness. It’s teriyaki-inspired but less sugary, and the slurry thickens quickly when heated, coating the chicken for a balanced, glossy finish. You can also use bottled sauce as a super shortcut.
A plate of cooked chicken, a bowl of water chestnuts, a red bell pepper, green onions, and a small dish of sesame oil arranged on a gray surface—ingredients needed to make chicken lettuce wraps.
Eight labeled bowls and cups containing rice vinegar, water, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, cornstarch, and brown sugar—ingredients needed to make flavorful chicken lettuce wraps.

How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Make the Asian sauce. Add all sauce ingredients to a jar, shake until smooth, and let it rest for a few minutes while you prep the rest. You can see in the photo that the cornstarch settles on the bottom, but a good shake will incorporate it back into the mixture.

A glass jar with a white lid contains a dark brown liquid with a thick beige layer settled at the bottom. The jar is placed on a light surface against a tiled background.
A glass mason jar filled with brown sauce sits on a light-colored surface with a white lid in the background.

Make the filling. Heat a skillet over medium heat, then add sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, cook the red bell pepper and the white parts of the green onions for a couple of minutes until slightly softened. Add the chicken to the skillet.

Diced red bell pepper and chopped green onions sautéing in a black skillet on a light-colored surface.
Chopped cooked chicken, diced red bell peppers, and green onions are being sautéed in a black skillet with a white handle.

Shake the sauce again, then pour it into the skillet. Stir to combine and heat just until warmed through. The sauce will thicken quickly and coat the filling. Remove from heat as soon as the sauce thickens.

A hand pours brown sauce from a jar onto chopped cooked chicken and vegetables in a white skillet.
A skillet filled with the cooked filling for chicken lettuce wraps consisting of chopped chicken, mixed with red bell peppers, green onions, and a wooden spoon for stirring.

Serve the lettuce cups. Serve warm with butter lettuce leaves and finish with the green onion tops and any optional toppings. We love peanuts, Sriracha, and sesame seeds on ours! This 5-minute peanut sauce is a great addition, too!

Three chicken lettuce wraps filled with diced vegetables and chicken, garnished with sauce and chopped nuts, are displayed on a round wooden board next to a bowl of filling and fresh butter lettuce leaves.

Best Lettuce for Lettuce Wraps

Butter lettuce, also called Bibb lettuce, is what’s typically used for lettuce wraps. The leaves are soft, flexible, and naturally cup-shaped, making them easy to fill and fold. To prep them, gently separate the leaves from the base, rinse under cold water, and dry thoroughly. Store in the fridge with a paper towel to keep them crisp until ready to use.

Romaine or iceberg can be used for a firmer, crunchier bite, but the leaves are more rigid and longer, which may require more filling.

Tips From The Test Kitchen

  • Chicken options – Use any cooked chicken for this recipe. Rotisserie is the easiest and quickest to use, but leftovers from your grilled, baked, or air fryer chicken all work well.
  • Sauce options – This recipe uses a quick and easy Asian sauce, but you can swap in your favorite bottled sauce if preferred.
  • Lettuce – Butter lettuce is soft and flexible, and the easiest to use. Romaine or iceberg lettuce offers a crisper bite and is elongated, which requires more filling.
  • Meal prep – Prep the components ahead of time so the filling comes together in about 5 minutes when you’re ready to eat.
  • Leftovers – Once the filling is cooked, leftovers reheat quickly and make a true 5-minute dinner.
  • Make it a bowl – Turn this into a quick bowl by serving the filling with butter lettuce, brown rice, rice noodles, or quinoa, topped with your favorite toppings.

Meal Prep Lettuce Wraps: Two Easy Ways

This recipe works well for meal prep in two ways: 1) prep ahead by chopping the chicken and vegetables and mixing the sauce, then cook in under 10 minutes, or 2) cook the filling and store leftovers for quick, heat-and-serve meals later in the week. Either way, you’re just minutes from a fresh dinner with lettuce and toppings ready to go.

Overhead view of ingredients for chicken lettuce wraps: chopped cooked chicken, diced red bell pepper, sliced green onions, chopped water chestnuts, fresh lettuce leaves, a small cup of sauce, and a jar of brown dressing on a gray surface.
Overhead view of a meal kit for chicken lettuce cups, featuring cooked chicken and vegetables in a glass container, fresh lettuce leaves, chopped peanuts, sliced green onions, and a Sriracha packet arranged on a gray surface.

More Easy Asian Recipes

📖 Recipe

Three chicken lettuce wraps filled with chopped vegetables, diced chicken, and topped with crushed peanuts and chili sauce, served on a round wooden board.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Quick and Easy)

Chicken lettuce wraps are a quick take on a popular restaurant favorite, made with shredded chicken, vegetables, simple Asian sauce, and your choice of toppings.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total time30 minutes
Yield 8 wraps
Author Traci
5 from 14 votes
Print Pin it for later 📌

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Video

Note about scaling

When scaling, the light gray ingredient notes after the comma don’t change. Adjust as needed.

Ingredients 

Asian sauce ingredients (Makes ½ cup)

  • ¼ cup Water
  • 3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Rice Vinegar
  • 1 clove Fresh Garlic, finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger, finely grated
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Brown Sugar, or to taste
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Cornstarch

Filling ingredients (Makes 2 cups)

  • 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
  • ½ large Red Bell Pepper, diced
  • 2-3 Green Onions, thinly sliced (separate white and green parts)
  • ½ cup Asian Sauce (listed above), or bottled sauce
  • 2 cups Cooked Shredded Chicken, diced, about 12 ounces
  • ¼ cup Water Chestnuts, drained and diced

For serving

  • 6-8 Butter Lettuce, or baby romaine
  • Optional toppings: Chopped Peanuts, Almonds, Sesame Seeds, Dried Ramen Noodles, Sriracha, Chili Sauce, or Peanut Sauce

Instructions

Make the Asian sauce

  • Add all sauce ingredients (WATER, SOY SAUCE, SESAME OIL, RICE VINEGAR, GARLIC, GINGER, BROWN SUGAR, CORNSTARCH) to a lidded jar. Shake to combine and set aside.

Make the filling

  • Set a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add SESAME OIL and heat until shimmering.
  • Add RED BELL PEPPER and GREEN ONIONS (white part) to the hot oil. Cook for a few minutes until tender, stirring as needed.
  • Shake the sauce again, then add it to the skillet along with CHICKEN and WATER CHESTNUTS. Stir to combine.
  • Heat 2–3 minutes, stirring, until warmed through and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

Assemble lettuce wraps

  • Serve the filling slightly warm with LETTUCE LEAVES. Top with the GREEN ONION tops and any optional toppings. Use about ¼ cup filling per leaf.
  • Refrigerate filling and lettuce separately for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave.
Did you make this? We'd love your feedback!!Please rate and review it here or below ⤵️

Recipe Notes

Chicken options – Use any cooked chicken for this recipe. Rotisserie is the easiest and quickest to use, but leftovers from your grilled, baked, or air fryer chicken all work well.
Sauce options – This recipe uses a quick and easy Asian sauce, but you can swap in your favorite bottled sauce if preferred.
Lettuce – Butter lettuce is soft and flexible, and the easiest to use. Romaine or iceberg lettuce offers a crisper bite and is elongated, which requires more filling.
Meal prep – Prep the components ahead of time so the filling comes together in about 5 minutes when you’re ready to eat.
Leftovers – Once the filling is cooked, leftovers reheat quickly and make a true 5-minute dinner.
Make it a bowl – Turn this into a quick bowl by serving the filling over rice or noodles and adding your favorite toppings—great with peanut sauce drizzled over the top!

Equipment

Nutrition

Serving: 2wraps | Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 412mg | Potassium: 432mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4414IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.

Course Dinner Recipes, Lunch
Cuisine Asian
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More Chicken Recipes

Traci

About Traci

I’m the recipe author, photographer, and videographer behind The Kitchen Girl food blog established in 2013. I test and share all of my original recipes here so you can make great food with simple ingredients for everyday meals and special occasions.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 14 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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  1. Heidi says

    5 stars
    Your beautiful homemade sauce is a must for these wraps. Making a homemade sauce doesn't get much simpler than a quick shake in a mason jar! I also loved your fabulous topping ideas. The dry ramen noodles and sesame seeds would add such a lovely crunch to each and every bite!

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Thank you for the kind words, Heidi! So glad you're enjoying my recipe. Thank you for sharing this! 🙂

  2. Girlfriend says

    5 stars
    Girlfriend, I just made this for lunch today and it is sooo good. I had to stop myself from eating it right out of the pan! I love the fact that it has veggies in it and in my opinion, the quinoa is a must!!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Omgosh I'm smiling from ear to ear over your comment, GF! This makes my day 🙂 Couldn't agree more about the quinoa...thank you!!! xoxoxoxo

  3. Molly says

    5 stars
    What a great idea for a healthy snack using lettuce wraps! Great job.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Molly, they're so easy too!

  4. Emily says

    5 stars
    LOVE the sound of these and how easy they are to make, yum!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Emily...yep, so easy!

  5. Jyothi (Jo) says

    5 stars
    I just want to grab one of these. Love teriyaki sauce in my chicken any day. Lettuce cups would be perfect light lunch or snack on hot summer days. Now I'm off to kitchen, I got hungry looking at the photos

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Jo! Yes, they are perfect for lunch 🙂

  6. Nancy Hunter says

    5 stars
    Love this! I love lettuce cups and this recipe looks like a great one to try. Great photos, too!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks so much Nancyl..hope you love it!

  7. Jenni LeBaron says

    5 stars
    I love that these use rotisserie chicken. What an awesome shortcut to make this hit the dinner table even quicker!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Jenni! Yep, rotisserie chicken is one of my fav kitchen hacks 🙂

  8. Jacqueline Meldrum says

    Lettuce cups are such a great idea and perfect for summer. I am going to try some of my own. Thanks for the idea.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Of course! And they really are so easy...hope you love them!

  9. Silvia says

    5 stars
    Since I've tried lettuce cups for the first time, I make them a lot. They're so tasty. I love your recipe.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Aww, thank you Silvia. Yeah, I need to eat them more often! 🙂

  10. Soniya says

    Nom nom.... Lettuce wraps are one of my family favorite when it comes to asian cusine.. loved the use of Quinoa in it!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks so much Soniya! So glad you like the quinoa idea 🙂

  11. Jessica Fasano Formicola says

    5 stars
    I want to grab one of these off the screen! Love lettuce for a lighter option!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Haha YES Jessica! Love hearing that...and thank you 🙂

  12. Beth says

    5 stars
    I love the flavors of teriyaki sauce! I usually make my own. It's really easy! But I do love to have a few cheats on the refrigerator door for days when you just don't have the time! These lettuce wraps look so tasty! Perfect for a day on the beach!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      I'm with you on the DIY, Beth. It's usually my style, but yes, there are those days. Thanks so much for the kind words 🙂

  13. Rebecca says

    5 stars
    love the idea of using rotisserie chicken! these look great

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Rebecca! It makes it sooo easy...and I often have rotisserie chicken on hand 🙂

  14. Elaine says

    5 stars
    I love how quick and easy these can be put together! They look so delicious and healthy! I can't wait to try them.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Awwww thanks Elaine! Love hearing that from you 🙂